Lhasa-Tsedan Tour starts with a Himalayan flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa with fantastic views of the Himalayas including Everest, Makalu and Kanchenjuga. At Tsedang you will visit Yumbu Lakhang, the oldest, castle-like monastery along with the tombs of the ancient kings of Tibet. This will be followed by a sightseeing tour in Lhasa including that of Potala and Norbulinka Palace, Drepung & Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple & the Barkhor Bazaar.
Day 01: Fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa and drive to Tsedang
Day 02: Tsedang - Lhasa (Samye monastery, Yumbulakhang) (150kms, driving about 3 hrs)
Day 03: This day you visit Potala Palace, Sera Monastery and Norbulinka.
Day 04: This day you are programmed to visit Drepung Monastery, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street.
Day 05: Early morning transfer to Gonggar airport and fly to Kathmandu.
Early morning you will be transferred to the airport to board the plane for the flight over the Himalaya to Lhasa. If the weather is clear there are wonderful views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and other peaks en route. On arrival at Gonggar airport, you meet your guide and the vehicle and drive to Tsedan. After arrival at your hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the local areas and acclimatize yourself to the air, temperature and high altitude of Tsedang. Stay overnight at hotel.
YumbuLakhang was built on a small hill. The whole structure is in a shape of a castle, soaring towards the pinnacle. Yumbu means doe in Tibetan, while Lakhang suggests the palace is on its hind legs. Therefore the real meaning of YumbuLakhang is the palace on a doe's hind legs. Generally speaking the word 'doe' gives you the impression of tenderness and sedateness. So, you will think that YumbuLakhang will not be that steep and mighty. The truth, however, is quite to the contrary. In fact,YumbuLakhang was the palace of the first Tibetan king. It is a three-storey construction with a history of more than 2,000 years. On the first floor there is a hall with statues of SongtsenGampo and Princess Wencheng. YumbuLakhang was originally a small palace, but it has become a large and famous monastery due to a series of renovations by lamas.
Next, drive 50km from Tsedangto Samye. Samye is located on the north bank of the YarlongTsampo River.Samye was the first monastery to be built in Tibet. It was built in the 770’s under the patronage of King TsisongDetsen with the work being directed by Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita, the two Indian masters the king had incited to Tibet to help consolidate the Buddhist faith. Samye Monastery was constructed according to the basic structure of the universe as described in Buddhist cosmology. Samye is a very important monastery in Tibet, because it was right here, towards the end of the eighth century, the first seven Tibetans from noble families were tested and ordained for the first time in history as monks by the Indian Abbot Shantarakshita. They are known even today as the “Seven Examined men”.After sightseeing of the monastery, drive to Lhasa that takes about 2 hours.Stay overnight at hotel.
One of the highlights is the visit to the symbol of Tibet; the Potala Palace set high on Red Hill, the winter home of the Dalai Lama until 1959. Potala Palace is regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural building in the world. You will climb up the palace along the zigzag stone paths with white-and-red walls to the top of the palace where you can not only appreciate the exotic Tibetan-style architecture, but also get a great view of Lhasa’s urban areas, then walk into the inner space of Potala Palace to explore the stately chapels and learn about the history of the palace.
In the afternoon, visit Sera monastery, which was created in 1419, has always been an important Buddhist seminary. As rose are planted everywhere in the monastery, it is also called “the court of wild rose”. Today still 200 lamas live there.Another great treasure is the Norbulingka– the beautiful Norbulingka which used to be the former summer palace of Dalai Lamas in the ancient time, and now is a public park. It is famous for its Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai lamas with grandiose Tibetan architecture style. Stay overnight at hotel.
Firstly, you will go to visit Drepung monastery, one of the great monasteries of the Gelukpa (yellow hat) sect, just outside Lhasa. Drepung, in Tibetan, means “prosperity”. Since its establishment, Drepung Monastery has always been one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. In its heyday, there were more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders used to study here, especially the Dalai Lamas. So Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the “Mother School of Dalai Lamas”.
In the afternoon you visit Jokhang temple, the center of the Tibetan Buddhism and the sacred land of Buddhist followers where innumerable pilgrims come for worship everyday. The temple, built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry structure still existing in Tibet. Surrounding the Jorkhang Temple is the bustling Barkhor Market place which is the religious and social focus of Lhasa. Around the Barkhor there are numerous stalls selling all sorts of handicrafts: brightly colored boots and fur-lined hats, silver and turquoise jewelry, rosaries, prayer flags and charms, as well as beautiful Tibetan carpets and all manner of ordinary household ware. Stay overnight at hotel.
The flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu takes one hour and during your flight, you can see YarlungTsangpo River, YamdrokTso [Lake], Mount Kanchanjungha (8,586m.), Mount Makalu (8,463m.) and Mount Everest (8,848m.). But the visibility depends on the weather condition. Your Tibet tour ends on your arrival at Kathmandu Airport.
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